Region · Ceará

Surroundings

Towns and places on the west coast of Ceará around Preá, Jericoacoara and Camocim.

The region

The coast all around

The backbone of the region is the CE-085, which links Fortaleza to the west coast through Itarema, Acaraú and Cruz. In IBGE's division these municipalities make up the immediate regions of Acaraú and Camocim.

Guriú, Mangue Seco and Tatajuba lie between Jericoacoara and Camocim. West of Camocim, Barroquinha and Chaval lead on towards the Parnaíba Delta.

In numbers

65,264

inhabitants of Acaraú, IBGE 2022 Census

42,957

inhabitants of Itarema, IBGE 2022 Census

3,995.61 ha

Lagoa da Jijoca Protection Area

309,594 ha

Parnaíba Delta Protection Area

Sources: IBGE, Censo 2022; SEMA-CE; ICMBio

Climate

Rain and temperature through the year

The pattern is the same across the region. There is no INMET station in the surrounding municipalities; the nearest official reference with a 1991-2020 Normal is Parnaíba, in Piauí.

Month	Average rain (mm)	Average high (°C)
Jan	123.1	32.5°
Feb	173.2	31.7°
Mar	206.9	31.1°
Apr	216.7	31°
May	144.5	31.5°
Jun	51.1	32°
Jul	42.7	32.7°
Aug	4.5	34°
Sep	0.9	34.6°
Oct	2.5	34.5°
Nov	3	34.2°
Dec	27.8	33.8°

INMET, Parnaíba (PI) station 82287, Climatological Normal 1991-2020. Annual total: 996.9 mm. The Normal gives no minimum temperature for this station.

Rainy season

According to FUNCEME, Ceará's rainy season runs from February to May, with a pre-season in December and January. ICMBio describes the region's rain as concentrated from February to May, broken by sunny spells.

Wind and kitesurfing

There is no official wind measurement on the west coast. At the INMET station in Fortaleza, the only one with an official wind series in the 1991-2020 Normal, the average is highest from August to December and lowest from March to May, blowing mainly from the east.

Unofficial data: Windfinder's statistics for Jericoacoara (a private service, observations from 2005 to 2015) show a monthly average of 13 to 14.7 knots from August to November and 6 to 7 knots from April to June.

Getting there

Access by air and by road

Jericoacoara Regional Airport (JJD), in Cruz, has been run by Fraport Brasil since 1 September 2026.

CE-085

From Fortaleza, take the BR-222 to Caucaia and then the CE-085 through São Gonçalo do Amarante, Paraipaba, Itapipoca, Amontada, Itarema and Acaraú: about 245 km to the town of Cruz.

Lagoa do Paraíso

About 5 km from the town of Jijoca and 18 km from the village of Jericoacoara, by car, buggy or transfer.

Tatajuba

From Camocim, along the shore crossing the Coreaú River, or along the CE-085.

Attractions

What to see

Lagoa do Paraíso
In Jijoca, in the Lagoa da Jijoca Protection Area, with restaurants on the shore, hammocks in the water and guesthouses nearby.
Lagoa Azul
In the Lagoa da Jijoca Protection Area, between Jijoca and Cruz, with clear water, stand up paddling and canoeing.
Mangue Seco
Mangrove, dunes and streams in Jijoca, with beach huts serving crab dishes.
Guriú River
On the border between Jijoca and Camocim, inside the National Park: a canoe trip through the mangrove to watch seahorses.
Tatajuba and Lago Grande
In Camocim, among dunes, with a freshwater lake for kitesurfing, windsurfing and canoeing.
Açude da Prata and the Acaraú River
Sights in the municipality of Cruz named in the municipal plan.
Rota das Emoções
A route of about 500 km across 14 municipalities in Ceará, Piauí and Maranhão that runs through the region.

Rules

Protected areas and rules

Jericoacoara National Park

Federal, run by ICMBio. Created in 2002, with boundaries redrawn by Law 11.486/2007, about 8,850 ha in Jijoca de Jericoacoara and Cruz.

Lagoa da Jijoca Protection Area

State run, by SEMA. Decree 25.975 of 10 August 2000, covering 3,995.61 ha between Jijoca and Cruz. Building is allowed in these areas, but access, tourism included, follows the environmental laws.